Cable management can be a nightmare. You buy a new game console, 4K Blu-ray player, or whatever swaggy tech you bought to plug into your TV. You get home, completely empty the box of everything because you're excited, and at the moment you go to plug it all in, it happens. You have WAY too many cord running up to your TV and realize you've got to fix it all. Then you spend a good chunk of an hour rearranging the tech setup you have (which you've probably been meaning to do anyways).

Some of us bought a TV receiver and run all their tech through that. It might be the best option to be honest. The TV is a center piece and it can look bad when you have 4+ cords dangling down. The TV receiver can cut all that down to one HDMI running to the TV. The ARIES PRO is an HDMI transmitter and receiver. You can imagine what kind of bliss this may give some people.

Starting with the most important feature when gaming, latency. The Latency is so low, I mean SO LOW. Only a professional gamer or speed runner can notice it. When testing the effective range of 100ft and no obstacles, there are no issues that I've experienced. The issues are when walls become a factor. If you have 2 walls in between, then your looking at more of 30 ft effective range. Outside of the effective range, you'll loose image and audio quality, but the latency will remain unaffected.

For those of you sporting Dolby Atmos, you sadly wont get the fully quality, since it is not supported. Oddly however, 3D is supported. Not sure the last time I saw a 3D TV to be honest. 4K and HDR support is not there either. I tested it with both my PlayStation 4 and Xbox One S, and sadly I couldn't get HDR10. This would be more practical for those with a projector to be honest.

The transmitter is a bit of a chubby boi. When plugging it into a PlayStation 4, you have to use the HDMI right angle adapter that is packaged with the device. I was so very happy they included the adapter, because I'm not sure if I would have gone out to buy one. It also helps keep the devices you use them on stay close to the wall.

Both devices are powered through micro-USB cords. As nice as it is going wireless, it still comes with cords. You have a power USB for both devices, plus the HDMI. This is why having a TV receiver is nice with products like this. You can plug all you devices into the TV receiver and have wirelessly run to the TV itself.

Connecting the devices is easy. Plug transmitter into HDMI port of a device (ie. Laptop, PS4, XB1), then use the micro-USB to connect it to the USB of said device to the transmitter. Then you'll plug the receiver's micro-USB power cord in and connect an HDMI cord from the receiver to your device of choice. Once you've plugged everything in it proper place, you will click the power button on the receiver, then the sync/power button on the transmitter. That's it. Very simple.

Build & Aesthetics

Not too much to say here. It all feels a bit too light. The receiver has some grippy little legs on it, but you'll find it hard to keep it in one specific place. This is due to the fact that most HDMI cords are very stiff. The transmitter is also very light weight, but that plugs right into your device of choice, so it doesn't matter much.

The plastic makes and lightness gives me the feeling that its a bit childish, which is deceiving given the capabilities of Aries Pro. The little grippy legs I spoke of, are glued on. So needless to day, I already lost a leg.

What Could Be Better

This device is missing a couple features that would make it extremely desirable. Dolby Atmos, 4K, HDR10, and/or Dolby Vision support would have future proofed the Aries Pro. Tech is always evolving and I don't think anyone expected 4K or HDR to catch on so quickly. Especially because of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are what console gamers are buying now.

Get some aluminum or metal on this bad boy! I think a design like the OWC USB-C Dock we reviewed or other docking stations would have been the way to go. Give it some weight. Keeps it from shifting and gives it a more premium feel.

Verdict

I can absolutely recommend the Aries Pro for those of you with a PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, TV receiver, or laptop. No need to run cables through walls or the ceiling and easy enough to plug and play. It's a perfect fit, especially for those with a projector.

If you plan using the Aries Pro for a PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, or 4K Blu-ray player, then I would recommend you use an HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 directly to your display for the best result. Basically anything that runs 4K or HDR would be better with a corded connection.